NATO agrees to strengthen eastern flank

NATO defense ministers agreed on Wednesday to strengthen the military alliance’s presence on its eastern flank, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Photo: EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

The decision, amid fears of a potential attack by Russia in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, came during a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.

“NATO defence ministers agreed on an enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of our alliance,” Stoltenberg said.

The stepped-up presence would be “multinational, to make clear that an attack against one ally is an attack against all allies, and that the alliance as a whole will respond,” Stoltenberg added.

“It will be rotational and supported by a programme of exercises; and it will be complemented by the necessary logistics and infrastructure to support pre-positioning and facilitate rapid reinforcement.”

Beefing up NATO in Central and Eastern Europe is a key goal for Poland, which considers Russia, its giant neighbour to the east, a major potential threat to its security.

Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said the alliance's decision was still to be confirmed at a NATO summit in July in Warsaw, "but the decision about a lasting NATO presence on its eastern flank has been taken."